Bahrain police officers recount explosion horror

Manama, May 2, 2014

By Noor Zahra

Three officers have come face to face with their alleged attacker in court after he confessed to being part of a mission to "kill policemen".

They were injured when a homemade bomb, which was triggered by a fishing line, exploded on Janabiya Highway last July, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

A 17-year-old Bahraini is one of six suspects standing trial at the High Criminal Court for attempted murder.

However, only the teenager is in custody as the others are still at large and being tried in absentia.

He told prosecutors that a group of masked men placed the explosive device between burning tyres to "target policemen".

They then took cover some 200m away and when police arrived to remove the debris, one of them triggered the bomb by tugging on a fishing line.

The teenager confessed to placing tyres on the street and taking part in an illegal gathering, but denied setting off the explosive device, which consisted of a steel box containing gas and sulphur.

He revealed the names of his co-defendants during questioning by the Public Prosecution, but was later arrested when police traced the fishing line to him.

Four officers were injured in the blast which happened near the entrance of Al Quraya village.

The three policemen described the events leading up to the explosion when they testified in court. However, all three could not identify the teenager as their attacker because they did not see anyone's face.

"I was in a police patrol vehicle coming from Saar to Janabiya," said a 32-year-old.

"We saw burning tyres and rushed to remove them. We looked around but there were no rioters.

"My colleagues and I then placed the debris on the side of the road and we were walking back to our vehicle.

"Suddenly a bomb went off and we all fell to the ground. I suffered seven injuries to my body, including my left arm, legs and ears," he added.

The trial was adjourned until May 27 to summon a fourth policeman for cross-examination.

According to court documents, police confiscated a homemade explosive projectile found at the scene, along with the 17-year-old's shoes, goggles and mask.-TradeArabia News Service